Greene emerging from spiral of doubt

Social anxiety disorder troubled former Padre

St. Louis Cardinals Khalil Greene, right, is out at second attempting to steal as Florida Marlins Dan Uggla takes the throw during the second inning of a spring training game in Jupiter, Fla. Monday, March 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
— AP

St. Louis Cardinals Khalil Greene, right, is out at second attempting to steal as Florida Marlins Dan Uggla takes the throw during the second inning of a spring training game in Jupiter, Fla. Monday, March 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
/ AP

Just two years ago, Greene set a Padres record for shortstops with 27 homers while driving in 97 runs, earning a two-year, $11 million contract extension. His offensive stats immediately took a considerable dip.

Like a volcano, the stoic Greene's exasperation erupted on July 30 last year; he punctuated a strikeout by punching an equipment box at Petco Park and damaging his hand. That was Greene's last at-bat with the Padres, who dealt him to St. Louis on Dec. 4 for pitcher Mark Worrell and what turned out to be reliever Luke Gregerson.

If the Cardinals thought a change of scenery would do Greene good, it seemed things had just gotten worse for him at the outset of the 2009 season. At the time he was put on the disabled list, Greene was batting .197 with three home runs.

Perhaps more telling was the fact that Greene rarely had let his offensive doldrums affect his sharp play at short, but now he was scuffling with his glovework, too, committing seven errors for a .946 fielding percentage over his first 23 starts. He also did not deny that he'd been punishing himself in other, albeit unspecified, ways.

“With us, I don't think it was as severe as what he was going through in St. Louis,” says Padres General Manager Kevin Towers. “Obviously, he internalized a lot, but we never really saw that (self-harming) side other than when he banged the equipment box.”

Although clubs are bound by confidentially when it comes to the player assistance program, it's believed the Padres got Greene to seek outside help with the difficulty he was having, but with no turnaround.

Greene has always been a fascinating study, seemingly shy and introspective, yet a great conversationalist who'd handle even some of the trickiest of subjects at great length and detail. In interviews or general discussion, he might look detached, but his words were most engaging.

“There are times he'd talk my ear off, going on and on and on about something about issues not related to baseball,” says Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, who had a locker close to Greene at Petco Park. “And it was interesting, because he has a different perspective on everything. He's a very sharp guy, very smart and bright, very thoughtful and kind to other people.

“I don't know the extent of what he was going through. There were no red flags here, nothing where you felt he needed to get some help. He's just a good guy with different feelings about different things.”

If anything's readily apparent about Greene, it's that he's not at ease with the extra adulation and attention that comes to major league players, performing daily in front of tens of thousands of people at a time. Fans saw his unchanging, unsmiling facial expression — as emotion-free during his home run trot as after an error — and mistook it for a lack of caring on his part.

To the contrary.

“It became extremely frustrating for him,” says Padres manager Bud Black of Greene's travails in 2008. “Coming off '07, he and Adrian (Gonzalez) were our two best players. Khalil had played extremely well and everyone thought it would continue, and when it didn't, I could see how it bothered him, just ate him up.